The Fourth
by silvereyed angel
Summary: Humans and Dragons have had a special bond since the beginning of times, but now, the fragile magic is threatened by an unknown evil. To the rescue come four brothers, but the evil might leer closer then they expect.. JONAS
1. chapter the first

**This started out as a one-shot during the time I actually should've ****spent on 'Humanoid' and then… grew on me. **

**This post is already dedicated to my beloved ****Destined Jonas**** because she can use some cheering up.  
>Enjoy, <strong>

A deep orange trail of light fell through the open window of the young boy's bedroom, reflecting beautifully on hundreds of diamond-like scales. It trailed over the dark wood towards the circular bed in the middle of the room. In the bed lay a young man.

A soft, moist sensation ghosted over his cheek, tickling against his nose and making him turn over in mock-annoyance. He groaned a muffled protest to his pillow when the wetness was replaced with a gentle tap against his temple.

An amused hum only barely warned him before a nudge from Vesper's nose send him sprawling out of bed and onto the floor. Tor a few disorienting seconds, he just sat there, before his young, blue scaled dragon-mate pinned him down and started lavishing sloppy dragon kisses all over his face.

"Vesper!" Nick complained affectionally, rubbing the underside of her long neck, "I already took a ba– blech! Okay, sure, I love the taste of dragon spit in my mouth first thing in the morning, thanks anyway."  
>He send his beloved dragon an annoyed glance, but laughed at the next lick over his face and hugged her head, massaging the soft scales of her cheeks.<p>

After Vesper had decided Nick had received an appropriate amount of love, she let him push her off and lazily flopped back to the other side of the room, curling her tail around her and resting her head on the end of Nick's bed, staring at him with one, dark-violet coloured eye the size of Nick's head.

"Mrr," She informed him, huffing once before closing her eyes to enjoy the morning sun while Nick quickly got changed, attempting to fix his wild dark curls for a second, unsuccessful, before giving up altogether.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I should've been up already," he replied, as she blinked at him again, in search for one of his boots, fishing it from behind her tail victoriously, "I'm glad you woke me up, anyway, Olive would've dragged me down there like a dragon-pup."  
>His dad's dragon had always mistaken her mate's children for her own, carrying him and his brothers around in her beak quite often when they were younger.<p>

Vesper hummed her agree leisurely and Nick stopped in his tracks to admire her shining beauty once again.

He still couldn't believe his dragon had turned out to be a blue Aria; such a rare and beautiful species, even under dragons.  
>Vesper, like most Blue Arias, had a long, sleek body covered in smooth, deep blue scales and strong features. Her muscles were strong and lean, rippling subtly beneath her skin, especially on her powerful hind-paws.<p>

The crown to the magnificence of the Blue Aria, though, were the beautiful, sculpted wings that stuck out from their backs, which could grow to nearly twice their own length and making them the fastest flyers to roam the skies of the kingdom of Ylonia.  
>Right now though, Vesper's wings were tidily folded against her body, rustling softly when she caught him looking.<p>

"What, you're beautiful," he acknowledged her, earning himself a draconic grin as he continued lacing his tunic.  
>He skilfully dodged her twitching tail, which would have send him plunging to the floor again, had it hit him, and stepped out on the deck.<p>

Nobody in the village had been surprised he'd bonded with Vesper when he was twelve. It wasn't strange at all; not for a Lucas.  
>Not that they hadn't been impressed, of course, but with both of his parents flying around on proud, large ridgebacks and his eldest brother Kevin teamed up with a stunning Zenger named Cloë, with scales the colour of fresh-roses who won all beauty-contests and flame-throwing competitions alike.<br>Kevin deserved that though, he sometimes spend hours grooming her and the both of them trained every day at least a few hours.

Nick smiled softly, as he surveyed the giant trees around him, noting Joe's treeroom, a little lower in their family tree –which was a nearly a hundred feet tall— was still silent and dark. Nothing stirred in the large tree-house of his older brother and he took a wild guess that he and his yellow Scamander Mandy were probably still snoozing peacefully. He'd also forgotten to bring in his saddle, again.  
>He used the saddle to protect certain important bits from himself from Mandy's horns and spikes and he really shouldn't leave it out to damp; the leather would harden and that wasn't comfortable for both rider <em>and <em>dragon.

Joe's dragon was one of the strongest in the village and one of the biggest too, which was why his tree-room was the biggest out of all four of them.

Yes, four.

Because the Lucas family wasn't just admired and respected for their bonds with extraordinary dragons.  
>It was also the fact that their family consisted of not three, but <em>four <em>children; an extraordinarity of the highest kind.

It was the price human-kind had gladly paid for their bonds with dragons; no human pair would or could conceive more then 3 children, because more would disrupt the fragile balance between the draconic and human population.

Once every century or so though, a fourth-child was born, a child with three older siblings.  
>Because of the ancient magic the elder dragons had cast over the human-kind so many thousand years ago, this child wasn't born a human.<p>

That was why the fourth Lucas child, Nick's little brother Franklin, was born a Caldar and destined for greatness.

He would never bond a dragon, but was the protector of their ancient magic.

And today, it was Nick's duty to pick him up from the royal castle to bring him home for the sommerfestivals; the celebration in honour of the four elements and the biggest holiday of the year. Nick couldn't wait to enter the race competition again; he and Vesper had only nearly lost last year.

He absent mindedly ran his fingers over the scales of Vesper's flank as she appeared beside him, nudging his shoulder with a questioning 'Mrr'.

"Yeah, I'm hungry too," he said, smiling as her wings twitched happily, "let's go down to the river to catch some fish for you, huh?"

Vesper yelped, humming in agreement and spread her wings excitedly, her claws scratching in the wood beneath her as she let herself topple off the deck.

"Vesper!" Nick scolded, as the end of one of her wings nearly hit him over the head, again, but laughed when she immediately swooped back up at the sound of his voice, looking sheepish.

He smiled, stroking one of her wings softly as she held still in front of the deck, licking his face to comfort him. It was hard to remember that Vesper, beneath the wise demeanour of every Aria, was still a young, playful dragon.

"Mrr," Vesper said, apologetically and did her best to hang as still as possible as Nick swung a leg over her back and sat down in front of her large, leathery wings. He was glad that he, in opposite to most dragon riders, didn't always need a saddle, thanks to her lack of sharp, sticky-out bits.  
>He and Vesper fitted perfectly.<p>

They circled down to the river that ran beneath the village of their tribe, the Rhea, where they found his mother, Sandy and her fleeting ridgeback, Arrow, already doing their daily wash-ups.  
>A few young dragons were playing in the shallow water close by, but made sure not to come anywhere near Arrow, who was very obviously enjoying the scrub his mother was giving him.<br>Arrow and Vesper greeted each other happily, rubbing their noses together and happily mrr-ing at each other as Nick slid of his dragon's back and padded through the water to where his mom was now oiling one of Arrow's scales. 

"Hey honey," she said, touching her forehead to his gently in greeting, "ready for today's flight?"

It was a tradition that, if possible, a sibling would fly the Fourth back home and this year, it was Nick's turn, even though he and Vesper had only recently reached maturity.  
>It was planned he set off when the sun had rounded one thirds of the sky, so he would have enough time to prepare, fly to the castle and make it safely back to the village before nightfall, but his mother still worried.<p>

Nick nodded in confirmation, trying to ease her mind a little, "We didn't fly at all yesterday, so Vesper's thrumming with energy, it's quite amusing, she nearly threw me off a branch yesterday to make me go fly with her."

Arrow snickered darkly and his mother simply laughed at Vesper's scandalised expression, her tail lashing dangerously until Nick's fingers softly touched her right paw.

She nudged his hand affectionally and then launched herself out of the water, spraying poor Arrow with little droplets of liquid, in favour of some bushes on the edge of the river bank, which carried lot's of Drassels for her to snack on, humming happily at the red berries, now that the young dragons had most likely scared off all the fish.

"You'll be careful, right?" Sandy questioned meekly, threading her fingers with his and answering his comforting smile.

"Of course."

She sighed, "I'm just glad you're riding a Blue Aria. Fly high today, okay?"

"Okay," promised Nick, sending a glance to Vesper to make sure accidentally swallow a hidden pixie again.

"Thank you."

"Aww, parental love!" A squeaky voice suddenly peeped, startling Sandy, but making Nick chuckle, in search for Macy's purple glitter.

Eventually he found her, using Arrow's tale as a makeshift swing, giggling loudly as she swung back and forth, leaving a trail of bright, purple fairy dust in her trail.

"It almost makes me wish I still had a mother," the fairy sighed, twirling off the green dragon's tail just before the huffing as creature splashed some after her, shooting towards Nick in a wave of sparkles. Her purple butterfly wings flapping hurriedly to get as close as possible within what was preferably the least amount of time.  
>Macy stopped just in front of his face, making Nick go cross-eyed at her. She was very tiny, very tanned but looked hugely pissed off all of a sudden.<p>

"And where," She peeped in an offended tone, "do you think you're going to go without me?"

"I told you before," said Nick, "I'll be picking up Frankie today."

Macy froze in mid-air and then chirped excitedly. Fairies were attracted to magic like moths to a fire to her, so to her, Frankie smelled extremely good. Sandy, however, seemed less happy about the ordeal.

"Don't call him that, you know the elders don't like it," she reprimanded him. 

Nick's lips set in a firm line turning towards his mother with a dark shadow cast over his face, Vesper immediately at his side, her head hovering defensively above him, "We've always called him Frankie, mom, he's still Frankie. He's still _him_," he spoke almost angrily now, "They can't take that away from us too."

The boy was only nine and even though he had gone to live at the castle when he'd reached his seventh autumn, he was still their little brother and he always would be.  
>All of them hated the fact that he had to receive his education at the royal palace, but there was little they could do, except be proud of him.<br>But now he was coming home, finally coming home after almost half a year in which they hadn't seen him and Nick wasn't going to ruin that by calling him _'Franklin_' as the elders insisted. 

"Don't defy the elders, Nick, you know you can't do that," she whispered, stroking back one of Arrow's twitching wings, "They protect us."

Nick shook his head, looking away towards their tree, and Frankie's empty room, "They rule us." Vesper growled.

"They protect us, Nick, don't say such things," she continued meekly, repeating what all of them had been taught their whole lives, "they use the ancient power to protect the country."

"From what? The black dragons?" she winced, "We do that ourselves, mom! The only thing they do is set rules; make us work for them and taking little brothers away from their family at too early an age in order to keep control of the ancient magic."

Nobody mated or received magic before their twelfth birthday, Frankie's early departure was ridiculous and he told his mother so.

"Not so loud!" She nearly sobbed, Arrow's tail now wrapped securely around her arm, his worry etched on his reptilic face.

"The oath is empty, mom, we don't owe them anything."

Sandy sighed sadly when Nick and Vesper stalked away from her, her son stubbornly talking to Macy instead of looking back at her. The fairy made a few anxious ringing sounds before the young flyer shut her up.

Vesper immediately pressed her nose against his arm, rubbing her scaly cheek against him in questioning comfort. She keened softly at his expression, reading it perfectly and probably having guessed the gist of his conversation with Sandy, just like he usually caught the meaning of her dragon-language.

"It's okay," he told her, petting the deep blue scales on her head and neck, pressing a kiss just above her eye, "we're just gonna get some food elsewhere today."

Vesper hummed again and crouched so Nick could climb on her back again, Macy twirling around his head.

"How 'bout we check out the southern-area, there's always plenty of fish there," he promised his dragon, eternally happy for her companionship and set on forgetting his mother for the moment.

And after they'd eaten and he'd saddled Vesper up for the journey, they'd fly off for the castle, to finally get his little brother away from the suffocating grey walls of the elders.

There was a grim expression to Nick's face as they flew off south, towards the domain of the nymphs.  
>He hoped for their sakes he was still the boy they brought to them after midwinter.<p>

~ To be continued ~


	2. chapter the second

**Lots of information-warning**

Nick pressed himself close to Vesper's neck, hunched over the saddle and smiling like an idiot as they scorched through the air, leaves fluttering all around them, blown astray by the air they moved.  
>Nick laughed, as one twitch of Vesper's mighty wings launched them to the right as they burst through the end of the Vines; his birth-forest, leaving an explosion of little tweaks and leaves behind.<p>

The young flyer shadowed his eyes with his hands, not used to the brightness of the sun just yet. Vesper let out a happy 'Mrr' as she looped through the air, chirring away in dragonese, while Nick looked down on the rolling hills beneath them, watching the little, white villages spread out in the shallow valleys.

He sighed as Vesper's speed dropped and laughed as she flapped her wings one last time before floating gently through the air that would carry them to Caldar-castle.  
>Nick gently rubbed the back of her neck, kneading the muscles he felt there, just like he knew Vesper enjoyed.<p>

She purred at him and lazily flapped with her wings, a tremor running over his spine.  
>And while this was a small shake to a dragon like Vesper, it almost made Nick fall out of the freshly oiled saddle.<br>He chuckled, regaining his balance and petting Vesper gently after her apologising hum, but his face darkened as his eyes looked up to the mountains up ahead.

The Lunar-mountains, named after the moon that hung above them at night, were the centre of Ylonia, Caldar-castle –their destination— located in the highest peak.  
>The mountains waved out into the hills on one side, the Chysnii-desert on the other. Nobody knew where the Chysnii ended, but the hills had a bright scala of large forests at their feet, one of which Nick called his home.<p>

All of these forests and mountains had names, many in several dialects, but Nick –not really a student for geography, though mated with an aerial-type dragon— only knew the most important ones and some of where his friends lived. Besides, Vesper would always take him where he needed to go.

Now, though, she was taking him to the place where he least wanted to go. To the castle of the Elders.  
>He had to remind himself that it was for a good cause; to get his little brother back, at least for a little while.<p>

Some sarna-birds, phoenix-like birds that instead of burning, brought forth a grand scala of colours, decided to accompany them in their flight, trying to imitate the shine of Vesper's scales in their long, graceful wings.  
>Nick had to admit they did a marvellous job, but nothing was quite like dragon-scales in the sunlight.<p>

They didn't give up though and Nick saw many human-dragon pairs, bullets (a very intelligent breed of Minotaurs) and others alike stop in their tracks to smile up at the Blue Aria darting around with the birds. Nick tried to enjoy himself, drinking in as much of Ylonia's beauty as possible, before they would reach the castle.

Eventually though, they reached the mountain and landed on the giant deck of the black castle. Frankie's new 'home' was half build into the mountain and had lots of sticky-out bits, consisting of massive towers, layers of hallways, gigantic windows and entrances for all kinds of creatures.

Vesper's wings twitched nervously, like she was reading his mind, spreading them out protectively before folding them in again to let him slide off her back. Nick petted her flank softly.

Nick didn't like the feel down here either and he involuntarily shuddered as he looked up at the ancient palace, which housed enough ancient magic to rule all of Ylonia. He always felt slightly imposed when he would come here –not that this was a frequent thing— and was faced once again with the sheer greatness of it all.

"I know," he whispered to Vesper anxiously kept flicking her tail and she growled in response, watching servants in impeccable white approach them, three of them, as usual. Their cloaks were tight and split at the sides, from their hips to their ankles, to allow them moving space.

Nick self-consciously worried the hem of his own tunic, loose and screaming of his freedom ideal. He really should start listening to his mother.  
>Vesper nudged him playfully.<p>

Okay, sometimes. Maybe.

"Aria Vesper and Flyer Nicholas, third heir to the Lucas family?" One of the servants asked.  
>It was a middle-aged nymph-male, pale like his waters and fingers long and webbed that stared at him with the startling blue eyes of his kind. Behind him stood what Nick guessed was a young werewolf, going by the scars on his face and another nymph, probably related to the one in front of him.<p>

Nick confirmed the question with a nod and watched as the nymph bowed to Vesper, asking her permission to approach them and pressed his cool fingertips to Nick in formal greeting.

"Follow me please," he requested and stepped back in the formation of three, leading them further into the castle.

Nick's eyes goggled once again, even though he'd been here before; the architecture of the building was unexpectantly pleasant to the eye; sculpted ceilings and wall-paintings of heroic times were only a few of the many impressive traits of the castle. And that were just a few of the ones that originally came with the building. The elders had obtained many other treasures, through war, tax or gifted, sometimes simply because they'd wanted it.

The steps of their feet, whether clad in the soft, white servant-shoes or his own leather boots, echoed through the space of the hallways, build for dragons even larger then Mandy, Joe's dragon. Vesper's nails ticked on the tiles and Nick felt unease raiding off her. He tried to soothe her silently, through their link and reached back to softly touch the tip of her nose.  
>She gave him a draconic grin and licked his fingers. 'I'm okay,' she said silently, 'just make sure you'll be'. Nick nodded.<p>

They entered the main hallway of the castle, crowded with visitors and servants, several dragons looming on the beams above them. There was a lot of noise, almost every creature that roamed the land of Ylonia represented in this gigantic mountain-space, each with its own sound, look and ways of communication.

Mostly, it were Flyers though, visiting the castle for some reason or another. Some for a request, others because they were summoned by the Elders. He heard Vesper hum softly as she recognised a dragon she'd met before.

Nick tried to ease his mind, she'd be fine here, surrounded with her kind, he shouldn't worry over her.

"Leave your dragon, please," the nymph requested, but Vesper had already taken off towards the ceiling, gracefully dodging a group of harpies and nipping at some playful winxes in order to reach her friend, whom happily chirred at her.

"Come along," The nymph said and took Nick to where few people were ever allowed to enter. Let alone with a weapon or dragon –hence the separation– and it didn't surprise Nick that they were completely alone after the black door closed behind them.

The young werewolf opened another boy and they entered another, fairly large, but much darker corridor, stopping there. There were no more doors here, but archways, leading further into the private domain of the Elders.

Nick saw servant's in grey speeding through the luxurious chambers and darkly-coloured pixies resting on the chandeliers. Their dust clinging on the dark walls like a decoration, other then the paintings and decorative lights.

The three white-servants wordlessly handed him over to a single grey one, a young demon woman, and they started walking again. Their footsteps muted now, as they walked to purple-carpet.

Nick curiously looked around –it had been a while since he'd been here, after all– and marvelled over the wealth on display.  
>This time, the walk was shorter then before and they walked into a very familiar room.<br>The Caldar throne room.

The room was the ultimate conclusion to the castle, but Nick only had eyes for the boy sitting on the black dragon's throne.

Frankie.

He was stiff and looked bored, but it was most definitely Frankie and Nick nearly –kinda– teared up at the sight of his little sibling. He'd grown since last time Nick had seen him, which was more then six months ago, on the back of his father's ridgeback Arrow, who had brought him back to the castle.

His curls were so similar to his and his eyes completely their father's. The black robe he wore didn't suit him, but Nick didn't complain.  
>The only thing he really wanted was to run up to his little brother and hug him flat.<p>

He could only avert his eyes when a creaky voice spoke to him; "Welcome, young Flyer."

Nick's eyes darted to the figures, six of them, Frankie making the seventh, whose dark grey cloaks nearly camouflaged them against the equally grey walls.  
>What a horrible place to grow up.<p>

Nick felt the pressure of the oath on his shoulders, pressing down and he fell to his knees, bowing down before the six men and his brother.  
>He loathed this part.<p>

"Stand, brother," he heard Frankie say and immediately felt the pressure disappear, "What is your purpose?"

Ridiculous traditions, Nick thought. "I have come to request tour return home for the sommerfestivals."

There was a brief silence, before all six Elders nodded their heads, one by one. After that, Frankie nodded too, eagerly and Nick could see him hiding his smile.

"Your wish is granted!" and with that, he flew off his throne and into Nick's arms. Finally.

At that moment, Nick didn't give a damn about the disapproving faces of the Elders, or the fact that it was their fault he was missing out on this.

The only thing he cared about was the boy in his arms and the complete trust and happiness that he felt in the death hug.

"Hey," he whispered to Frankie, who nodded against his neck, nearly buried in him.

"You may escort Franklin to his room now to retrieve his belongings," one of the Elders said, before all of them disappeared through the archway and out of sight.

Nick knew there were a lot more elders then just the six he saw here, but that these were the most important. They were Frankie's direct teachers and functioned as the highest form of ruling, now that the Caldar wasn't fully educated yet and even after that they would stay highly influential as Frankie's advisors.

He carried Frankie back through the hallways, smiling at some servants that broke their mask of indifference when they saw the brothers. It must have been a sight for them in between these grey walls.  
>Nick knew for sure it would've driven him crazy, but he was grateful for the care on their faces. It meant Frankie wasn't completely on his own and a few even greeted them –mostly Frankie– and he smiled at them. <p>

They were mostly human-like creatures. He saw a few more nymphs and werewolves (who would be guarding the castle at night, but now served as human look-a-likes. All of them dressed in white or light-grey cloaks.

He even saw a two or three Neko's, which was more then he'd seen in a lifetime, but he recognised the cat-people immediately and he was impressed.

Neko's were a breed half human, half feline, which had resorted in a human appearance adorned with furry cat ears, cat-eyes, fangs, claws and a matching tail.  
>Neko's were known for their exquisite beauty, but the ones Nick saw were absolutely gorgeous. Their faces flawless and soft-looking, their bodies graceful in their movements, as he saw two of them run playfully through the corridor, smiling like chesires before continuing their game. They were slim and languid, their aura's radiant. Nick saw why so many people and creatures were attracted to them.<p>

He was also disgusted by the role they were forced to play.  
>They were pets, in the best way to phrase it, prostitutes in the worst. People wanted them and since they weren't very strong, people simply took them.<br>It had grown to be normal to most of the kinds, over the years. A pet-neko had become a status-symbol.

Their family could probably afford one, but Nick was glad none of them felt the need.

He softly stroked the back of Frankie's head, still holding him.

_No,_ he thought, _they were much too busy with each other_, and smiled.

They reached Frankie's room and the big brother in him was glad to see this room, at least, was more child-like and painted a proud dark blue. He smiled affectionally at the mess.

He put his brother down and the nine-year-old immediately ran over to his bed in the middle of the medium-sized room, a small trunk and a back from underneath it.

"Just as sneaky as I remember, huh?" Nick said, his voice slightly raspy and chuckled when Frankie beamed at him.

"Yeah," he said, "they said I couldn't pack before the confirmation of your request, but I really want to go home."

"Still see it as home?" 

"Of course, what else would be home?"

"Nothing. C'mon, let's get going," he said, glad that Frankie still viewed their tree as home and swiftly swooped up the trunk, which would fit nicely in Vesper's saddle-bag and gave Frankie the bag to swing over his shoulder.

"No, wait! I still have to say goodbye to Peeka!" Frankie said in sudden horror, dropping the bag and speeding off, Nick –the trunk back on the bed as well– following him in amused confusion.

"Peeka!" Frankie hissed into one of the rooms, "Where are you?"

Nick wondered who and what this 'Peeka' person was and how she was related to Frankie. He really hoped it was some sort of playmate or something.

Then, something furry dropped from the ceiling.


	3. chapter the third

A Neko. His brother had a fleeting Neko! Those damned Elders, corrupting his young mind!  
>Nick clenched his fists at the sight of the cat-hybrid, which was—by the sight of it—not just any Neko, but a full-blood, black-furred Nekomusume, a collar with the Caldar-sign around her neck.<br>His brother was nine, for crying out loud!

Nick himself had trouble not gaping at the creature, which possessed and exquisite beauty even for Neko standards.  
><em>It<em> was in fact a female that only just reached Nick's shoulder. He couldn't guess her age, he had nothing to compare her with, but she seemed young, too young. Almost a kitten still.  
>She had a pale, flawless skin, with a few whisker-like freckles on her cheeks. Her hair was long and black, reaching her lower back and equally raven-coloured ears poked up from beneath her silky locks. A tail of the same colour flicked out behind her, from beneath her wavy dress, obviously meant to accent her figure.<br>Her most eye-catching features, though, were her eyes, which burned a smouldering golden colour.

They stared at each other, and Nick saw suspicion, anger and—fear? Battling within those golden eyes, but was surprised when she spoke. Her voice was sweet and compelling, kind, even. Her smile was bright and child-like.

"Hello, stranger," she said, purring softly when Frankie enveloped her in a hug, "Hello, sweetie."  
>She stared down at Frankie with soft eyes, which hardened defensively when they returned to him. "You are Nicholas."<br>There was no venom in her voice, but her eyes once more, spoke for themselves, staring up at him with hostile, protective eyes.  
>"You are taking him to his—nest?" It was as though she had difficulty forming the words, like she was speaking a foreign tongue that she hadn't mastered yet.<p>

"Hello," Nick eventually answered, mentally slapping himself out of his thoughts, ignoring Vesper's amused vibes, "And err—yes, I am to take him home."  
>One of the black ears on her head twitched, and she reluctantly released Frankie from where he was still hugging her.<p>

She gracefully crouched down next to him, stroking the hair from his face with long, clawed fingers. Nick only now noticed his little brother's cheeks were coated with tears.  
>It shocked him, for his brother had ever only cried when he was leaving the forest, not when he was going <em>towards<em> it.

It made him do a double take on the Neko girl, Peeka, realising that Frankie—though he was sure the elders had most definitely intended it—didn't see the Neko as a pet.  
>He saw her as a friend.<p>

"I'll miss you, Peeka," the young Lucas whispered and Nick watched as the cat-girl bared her teeth in a feline smile.  
>He was glad his brother didn't see the cat like their society saw them. He'd always been most sceptic of the positions some creatures had in Ylonia, and his brother seemed to have his own ideas on them, too.<p>

Smiling, Nick crouched down next to Frankie, ignoring the black-furred-hostility on the other side and stroking through Frankie's curls.  
>The vague feeling of Vesper in his mind was both excited and worried at the rebellious plan that formed in the back of his mind.<br>He'd always been a bit reckless, and it would be a silent taunt towards the elders that had taken his brother away so many years ago.

He brought his face closer to Frankie's, his lips nearly touching the shell of the younger's ears and whispered; "We could bring her, if you'd like."

Frankie's eyes were wide when he pulled back and when he looked at little Neko Peeka, her ears were flattened against her head and he figured she'd heard.  
>Sensitive ears and everything.<p>

"It's forbidden to take other persons on the trip," Frankie whispered, excitement staining his voice.

Nick kept silent for a few moments, trying to phrase what he was going to say in his head. It depended on the words he used, and how he used them.  
>If he played his cards right, he might be able to slap the Elder's own beliefs into their faces, and make his little brother happy, all in one go.<p>

"It's forbidden to take a _person_," he said quietly and looked up directly into the narrow slits that were Neko's eyes now, "and though I personally disagree," he said, directly to her, "Neko's aren't _viewed_…" he trailed off. Staring at the cat-like girl.  
>He had no experience with Neko's and had no idea of their intelligence. Would she understand what he was saying?<p>

"…as persons," the Neko purred quietly.

Intelligent enough, apparently.

Frankie stared at the both of them with a frown on his face, poking at his friend's shoulder to get her attention. "Is that why the other's screech so much, when they're taken, Peeka?"

Nick winced, knowing _exactly_ why those Neko's would scream. And 'Peeka' apparently knew too, for her gaze darkened.

Before she could reply though, they were interrupted by a dark-cloaked figure.  
>"Are you being held, young masters?" the Elder asked, putting a hand on Frankie's shoulder, making him tense, "Should I let the Neko be removed?"<p>

Nick, right then and there, swore to himself never to refer to her as 'the Neko' again in his head. The elder spoke of her as though she was a, though highly valuable, dog.

"No, Elder Leon," Frankie said, as Peeka crouched back into the shadows, "We were just…" his voice fell away, gaping at the cloaked man that towered above them.

"Leaving," Nick supplied, putting a hand on Frankie's other shoulder, staring up into the hood challengingly, "we were _just_ leaving." 

The man's fingers, long and pale, let go of Frankie's shoulder with an angry movement, clearly not pleased by the tone of the young flyer's voice, but he couldn't help it.  
>The man put his hands back in his robes and stepped back, observing the pair of brothers quietly for a few moments. His voice was cold when he spoke once more; "Better hurry then, we don't want our Caldar wandering around in darkness, now do we?"<p>

_'and what is it you keeping him in here, then? Isn't that darkness?'_ Nick wanted to say, _'Isn't it darkness you cloud his mind with?'_

"Of course, my Elder," he answered instead, forcing himself into nonchalance, as if he didn't think anything of it, "my Aria will bring us home fast and safely."

Nick smiled stupidly at the man, hoping his eyes wouldn't give him away.

They didn't apparently, for the man nodded once and turned, disappearing through an archway.  
>Carefully, the young flyer stepped back into the darkness, right next to the waiting cat-girl.<br>"Can you meet us outside?" Nick whispered softly, watching Frankie's back, which was still—knowingly—turned towards them.

He nearly bolted out of the shadows and towards the large door when she twitched her ears once, hearing the soft sounds of nails on wood only because he was listening for them.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," he said to Frankie, his hand in his and his luggage in the other, while Frankie carried his bag.

Sending his feeling of haste through to Vesper, they hurried through the dark hallways, nearly bursting through the door that lead to the main hall, where she was already waiting for them. Her bright blue eyes were alert and Nick saw the tension in her wings.

"Come," he beckoned her, hurrying towards the fly-off, "We're leaving now."  
>Her thoughts were approving and she hummed at Frankie in greeting, scurrying after them.<p>

The walk to where they'd landed seemed shorter now, or longer, depending on how you looked at it and Nick felt Frankie's questioning eyes on him. He didn't stop to comfort him, there would be enough time for that when they got home.

Vesper hissed in warning when they finally reached clear air and the shine of sun, making Nick squint his eyes at the sudden brightness of the sun.

"Fecks," Nick cursed, turning around to lift his handful of luggage onto Vesper's back, right behind her saddle. He climbed halfway up to secure it and then reached back his hand for Frankie, who immediately climbed up with him, where he settled just behind Vesper's neck, his free hand nervously petting her scales  
>She mrr'd at him in comfort, flapping out a wing and nearly knocking Nick off her back. "Watch it!" He scolded, looking at the three white-cloaked figure on the deck. The werewolf and the two nymphs were still there and he cursed his forgetfulness.<p>

Then, again, something dropped from above. From the roof, this time.

She landed beside him with feline precision and stayed crouched in the shadow of Vesper's body. Her oval irises were small, staring at him with a flicking tail.

He nodded at her, relieved, they would just set off from here, over the heads of the servants. They wouldn't notice them and, more importantly, wouldn't be able to stop them.

The cloaks had started moving at the sight of the dark form atop the bright blue dragon; they would want to greet Frankie before he left.  
>Nick didn't feel guilty for withholding them the pleasure.<p>

"Up we go," he muttered, climbing up behind Frankie, feeling claws in his tunic as Peeka pulled herself up behind her and smirked.  
>Making the flight had never felt this sweet. It was a mellow revenge, but revenge none the less.<p>

Vesper roared playfully at the servants, who looked up at them with confused faces, the Nymphs' eyes even wider then they usually were and the werewolf-boy snarled back at the dragon.

_ 'can't bite us here, mutt,'_ Nick thought amusedly, one of his arms securely around the boy's middle and the other tangled in the ropes of his saddle.  
>Vesper didn't have any problems carrying them; Peeka apparently didn't weight too much.<p>

Her lithe arms were wrapped around his middle, as they scorched through the air, holding on for dear life, reminding Nick of the fact that very little creatures ever got to fly a dragon. She didn't seem all too fond of it, judging by the annoyed mewls that came from behind him.

Well the hybrid would have to deal with it, for it was up and on home, from now on.

===============================SceneChange================================

It was dark in the caves, as dark as his mourning scales. As dark as his bleeding heart, full of ice-cold pain and fiery hate towards those that had wronged them.

His glazed-over eyes shone in the darkness as he called for her. A roar that echoed of the rocks; _'Zalanya!'_ It meant unfair, in their language, and it suited her wonderfully.  
>She was his eyes, now, after so many centuries of waiting.<br>His eyes narrowed when he detected the scrambling sounds of her claws on the stone.

'_Wave,'_ she growled, her ridges flattening in submission as she approached him.  
>He sniffed at her, nostrils flaring at the scent of the desert sand, and sneezed to get it out of his nose again. He hated that scent, the scent of death and exile. He'd long lost his memory of her clean, tree-like scent, but longed for it with a great passion.<p>

_ 'Caldar ias Aria?" _he questioned her in soft purring sounds, clawing dark wounds into the grey of the stone. _The caldar, is he in the air?_

She turned his head at him, affirmative and he growled ferociously, _"Siar sem oa!" _

It was all too clear what he meant, _Set them off then! _and she scrambled for the way to the open air, to lead the youngest and strongest of the black dragons through the air. To intercept the traditional flight of the Caldar.

'_Ey i miur vespera!'_

**kind short chapter with a hint I'm fairly sure none of you will get until it's too late… Except for Chibi, maybe, but I doubt that, even. (she's gonna hate me for that one)  
>Oh well. I hope you enjoyed, because I'm pretty much in love with this story and the plot I've created for it. I know almost exactly what is going to happen now, so stay tuned for more!<strong>


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